Winter Driving Tips

Just some information I plagiarized gathered from online that I think is very useful come winter time.

Which is NOW! :D

A lot of them are common sense, but it's a good idea to still go through them as a checklist in case you forget.

I have also sent this to all my Mazda customers as my seasonal friendly reminder. Hope they don't think I'm too nosy :P

Okay let's begin:

1. Make sure your vehicle is Winter-Ready

• MAINTENANCE check-up of: battery, belts, hoses, radiator, oil, lights, brakes, tires, exhaust system, heater/defroster, wipers, and ignition system. 
• KEEP your fuel tank sufficiently full: no less than half tank. (I’m guilty of not doing this a lot of times)

• MAKE sure you have sufficient windshield washer fluid (get rated -40°C to be safe)  for those annoying frost and snow. here is how to check:

How to Check Windshield Washer Fluid Level -- powered by ehow... and this guy's infectious enthusiasm!

• YOU can check tire pressure yourself! Pressure decreases in colder climate and chances are that your tires need some air right now!

This reminds me... I gave away my pressure gauge, and now I can't check them. Shouldn't I have thought this through?



2. Stock up on necessary equipments in your car

• Snow brush/scraper
• Shovel
• Booster cables - batteries tend to die when it’s cold
• Flashlight - so that when you’re shoveling snow you don’t smash your car (based on actual personal experience =____=)
• Gloves
• First aid kit

3. Handling your car

• BRAKE early - stopping distance is considerably longer on snow/ice/slush 
• TURN off cruise control - never use cruise control in winter. There are road hazards everywhere and cruise will accelerate the car regardless. A very scary thought. 
• AVOID skidding - skidding can result from sudden, hard braking, going too fast on a curve, or accelerating too quickly. Make sure you turn on your Traction Control (if you have it)
• WHAT to do when you skid - steer in the direction of the skid, meaning steer toward where you want to go and do not floor the brake pedal. 
• IF you skid on a straight line - switch gear into neutral and brake.

Curious Rabbit has no questions today because it's getting late and I'm going to bed :)

Sky

Skyactiv is here



For those that don't yet know what Skyactiv is, here's a quick and inspiring video:



...... ok so chances are that after this video you still have no clue what it is.

What is the biggest advantage of Mazda3 over any other entry level compact cars?

It's the performance.

The 3 generates more power at start, on hills, when merging into traffic, and when you feel like it.
Mazda3 is a driver's car.
It gets you from A to B and promises a good time in the process.






However this biggest advantage is also its biggest disadvantage.
Allow me:

             2011 Mazda 3                               2011 Honda Civic                       2011 Toyota Corolla                    2011 Hyundai Elentra

	Estimated New EPA L/100 km
	Regular Gasoline 9.4 City 8.4 Combined 7.1 Hwy			Regular Gasoline 9.0 City 8.1 Combined 6.9 Hwy			Regular Gasoline 8.4 City 7.6 Combined 6.7 Hwy			Regular Gasoline 8.1 City 7.1 Combined 5.9 Hwy

*based on Manual Transmssion*

US department of energy, [http://www.fueleconomy.gov]

Of course Mazda3 has plenty of attractive qualities that help outweigh this one single factor.
Basing only on fuel efficiency though, you lose around 2 dollars for every 100km you drive, comparing with Hyundai.

A lot of people are more than happy to pay 10 dollar each month to drive a car they prefer. Some need that extra power for their day to day driving. (Otherwise you won't see Mazda3's roaming everywhere).
But it is what it is. You win some you lose some.


Here is where Skyactiv comes in.


The Skyactiv technology improves the F.E. by a whopping margin.
Manual transmission improves to 7.6 City and 5.1 Highway.
Automatic transmission is at 7.1 City and 5.0 Highway.
That's right, AUTOMATIC SIPS LESS GAS!












But wait!!

The fun doesn't stop there.
You also have improved performance! The HP and Torque both jump up by ~10 units!
See more info here ->http://www.mazda.ca/root.asp?path=eng-veh-mazda3-sport-specs--


With the Sky technology I really don't see any good objective reasons not to buy a Mazda3 :(
Just like the video said: No more compromise.








But wait!!

Silly Curious Rabbit has another question:

Q: But how did they do that? You didn't even mention what the technology is!

A: Fair enough. Here you go: http://tinyurl.com/c56secj








Now that wasn't so hard was it?
Just kidding. I'll cover that on my next post :)
Good day!

Thoughts on engine oil

Okay so first of all I'm no physics major.

But let me try my best and start by explaining what a car engine looks like.

Engine makes a car move by making small and repeated combustion (setting gasoline on fire) in cylinders. 

Within each cylinder there's a piston moving up and down to control the pressure inside each cylinder.

They look like this:

Because they are constantly moving, lubricating this part of the car makes it last longer and smoother. Which brings me to our topic for today:

Yummy

Have you heard of the term Synthetic oil?

What do you know about them besides that they are "super uber good for your engine" and they cost a fortune?

How is it different from "regular" oil?

To start with, the "regular" or "conventional" oil we usually use is mineral oil.

Mineral oil is naturally derived from petroleum, meaning they are not man made, but extracted from nature.

Synthetic oil, on the other hand, are completely artificial, first appearing in the early 1940's.

Silly Curious Rabbit asks:

But why do people recommend synthetic oil? Isn't natural product always better? Why isn't there organic engine oil? Why can't we use olive oil instead?

Synthetic oil is very different from mineral oil in terms of its physical properties. It is man-made and tailor-made for engine lubrication. It is free from impurities, allowing it to be very uniform and consistent. 

This means:

1) It retains its consistency at high and low temperature (protects engine in extreme hot or cold weather)

2) It creates less friction inside the piston (better fuel economy)

3) It doesn't break down as easily, thereby reducing oil sludge

4) It prolongs engine life (less wear and tear)

Disadvantage?

Pure synthetic oil is quite expensive.

This is why a lot of the stores sell "synthetic blends", which is a mix of mineral oil and synthetic oil. 

They claim to have a lot of the benefits of synthetic oil minus the ouch on the wallet.

To me, you always get what you pay for. Will a mix of 30% synthetic and 70% mineral be as good as 100%?

Will pigs fly?

Joseph... out.

My take on the 2012 Civic

Over this short time that 2012 Honda Civic has been introduced, I have heard mixed messages and reviews.
Here's a summary of what I think of it. Despite my employment with Mazda, I'm fairly confident my thought are fairly objective and true to myself.

Let me start by showing this quick review by Consumer's Report.
(For those of you not too familiar what Consumer's Report is, it is:
 "an American Magazine published monthly by Consumers Union since 1936. It publishes reviews and comparisons of consumer products and services based on reporting and results from its in-house testing laboratory. It also publishes cleaning and general buying guides. It has approximately 7.3 million subscribers^[1] and an annual testing budget of approximately US$21 million.^[2] The annual Consumer Reports new car issue, released every April, is typically the magazine's best-selling issue and is thought to influence millions of automobile purchases."   
.......Directly stolen from Wikipedia for those of you too lazy to wiki them yourselves =D)

Here is the report:

http://news.consumerreports.org/cars/2011/08/2012-honda-civic-lx-scores-too-low-for-consumer-reports-to-recommend.html

Pretty much what I think as well.

Honda Civic has always borne the reputation of being reliable, fun to drive, and nice to look at. Those are exactly the reasons I bought my 2009 Civic. It just stood out from all other cars (Mazda 3 included! I'm not a fan of the interior of first generation Mazda 3). But wow how things have changed in as little as 3 years.

I'm sure the 2012 Civic is as reliable as ever, but I don't think I can say the same for the other two (handling and appearance) and it dulls in comparison with other new cars. What I think? You'd never go wrong with a civic, just like you won't with a Corolla. But why do it when there's other as reliable, but more exciting cars out there?

Vanilla ice cream is the most popular flavour in the world because it is the easiest choice, but why get it at an ice cream bar when there's chocolate AND cookies AND cream?

I'm hungry :D

Winter Driving Tips

I know.... Autumn is just here and we're all still enjoying the last bits of sunshine.

But it's never too early to learn about and prepare for winter driving.
Those frosty mornings and slushy roads are slowly but surely creeping up on us!

Besides, I feel like writing about snow tires :)

Okay! So first things first. Do we really need snow tires (aka winter tires)?

The answer is no. You don't HAVE to have them.

Picture all season tires as sneakers, and snow tires snow boots.

  vs

Yes, you can still walk and run in snow in sneakers. And yes, you're also more likely to fall on your face. The cost of one collision is, however, usually a lot higher than that of four winter tires.

For those who are interested..what is the difference between all season and snow tires? There are two major differences. Tread design and material.

Tread

     Snow tire treads are designed to help tires "bite" into the snow/ice/slush and have a firm grip. Meanwhile, all season tires are designed to last and not hold as much "stickiness" to the road surface.

"BITE"

Material

All season tires act like normal rubbers.

They get softer when it's warm and hardens up when temperature drops. A hard and brittle tire loses its ability to conform to the road surface, resulting in loss of traction and therefore reduced maneuverability (is this a word?) of your car.

Snow tires, on the other hand, are made with softer rubber that will retain their softness in winter condition. This way, your tires maintain firm grip to the road, allowing you to move around those silly crows and squirrels who are oblivious to you.

But wait! Silly Curious Rabbit has a question!

Question: If winter tires are so good should we just use it instead and save the money on all seasons?

Answer: Not a good idea. Snow tires will make a very noisy ride on dry pavement. Also, the specific designs mentioned above will make them wear out a lot quicker than normal tires. Besides, having those unnecessarily increased traction means you have more "drag" on the road and will most likely result in a worse fuel economy.

Hope this helps you :]

Tips on buying a used car

Ok... this is probably something that a lot of people know already.

But as a summary review for myself and people who are considering buying a used car, allow me to go over them.

So you can't afford a new car don't want to spend too much money on a car?

On average new cars lose 25% - 60% of its value in the first 3 years
(Consumer Reports, http://editorial.autos.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=435466)

If you don't need the newest coolest car on the block, buying used is certainly a good way to go :D

There are, of course, many things to watch out for. 

You should pay attention to two main points:

1. the history of the car

2. the current condition the car

History:

Always get a Carproof report for a car you're interested in.

This thin pile of paper reveals accident records, lien status, and even possibility odometer changes.

If the seller refuses to show you a Carproof, there's a high chance you're being screwed over.

Current Condition:

Well this covers whatever may be left out by the Carproof.

What if an accident was not reported? What if the transmission is not fried but is on its way? What if the owner took out the radiator and you're too noob to know not a car expert?

Answer:  ALWAYS get a certified mechanic to check for you. And no, telling the 16 year old kid at your local Asian carshop does not count. A good idea is to ask BCAA or service department at a dealership to do a complete safety evaluation on the car.

Buying a used car is a lot of work. Plus, most of the time you don't get to have your favourite colour, model, or equipments. But hey, it's a sacrifice you'll have to make for avoiding those hefty depreciation :) and who knows, maybe you'll make a friend or two in the process.

Personally, I still shy away from buying a used car.

There's always this chance that the previous owner likes driving naked.

Buyers beware

Allow me to continue from last post.

So why are car salespeople called "scum on the earth"?
Let's see what some people do....

selling used cars at double its buy-in value
hiding people's trade-in keys
selling rebuilt cars
up-selling EXPENSIVE services
etc. etc. etc.

So how does one avoid being chewed off and become a generous contributor to some guy's big fat, undeserving commission?

Answer is knowledge.

Going into a car dealership uninformed is like walking into a construction zone without a helmet. You may meet a nice and sincere guy and have a pleasant experience and there will be flowers and candies and angels dancing around and you live happily after. You can also get hit by a falling brick and start hemorrhaging (hemorrhaging money from your wallet in this case).

Here are some tips to help you and your wallet stay alive when you're buying a new car:



1. Know the market
How much you are willing to pay/can afford has NOTHING to do with how much the car should be sold for. Basing the price on your financial situation results in one of two scenarios: wasting your time or over paying.
Do some research online, ask some friends.

2. Find a trustworthy salesperson
Prepare some technical questions that you already know the answers to, and see if your guy is honest and professional.

3. Be honest
A trusting relationship is like a tennis game, it takes two people to participate.
If you're shopping for price, say so.
Many people are willing to give you a good deal when you are realistic and honest.

4. Don't be greedy
Ask for what is appropriate. Asking for the world prevents people from taking you seriously, and you'd end up wasting your time going from dealer to dealer.



That's it for today I guess.
Hope this helps you in some way.

First Post

First Post!!
This space is meant to be a small world for me to do a bit of thinking out loud, a tiny bit of soul searching, and maybe give out a useful tip or two.

Car salesmen, along with politicians, have been rated the most untrusted professionals. (I searched car sales and untrusted, and "scum of the Earch" showed up T_T).

This is precisely why I have decided to start my blog with a very real picture of me depicting a very real moment in my real life.
Did I mention it's real?